Sinister
by Winter Levi
Summary: Eren is a beginner magician for card tricks. He's a very happy fellow until one day, a certain kind of a substitute teacher in his high school tells him that tricks are banned from his class. Eren decides one thing that will change his life - he challenges Levi, the substitute teacher in question, by disobeying. What Eren doesn't know is that Levi has secrets of his own...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **

**Hi, I'm Winter! I'm new to this site and I really hope I can entertain you with my stories. Before we start, I can assure you that this fic will have a happy ending. It will have approximately 15 chapters (or maybe more, if I see that I need that). **

**I am NOT A NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER, SO EXCUSE THE GRAMMAR. If I see mistakes, I will correct them. This fic will contain stuff like Lemon, yaoi and a few pairings (I will not give them away, well, except for the complete obvious one, which is Eren and Levi, hell yeah). It'll also contain magic tricks. A lot of them. I'll try explaining them as I go, so if you guys have any questions, shoot away.**

**Moving on to the summary: Eren is a beginner magician, choosing card tricks as his main job. He's a very happy fellow until one day, a certain kind of a substitute teacher in his high school tells him that tricks are, from now on, banned from his class. Eren, being awesome, decides one thing that will change his life - he challenges Levi, the substitute teacher in question, by disobeying. What Eren doesn't know, is that Levi has some secrets of his own...**

**AH, THERE WE GO. I assure you, that you will not hear me until the end of this fic (unless I want to personally thank you for reviews or anything, although reviewing is totally your choice). UM. ENJOY?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SnK, although owning Levi would be kind of cool. cough cough**

* * *

"Do it again, do it again!" a blonde haired girl hurried him, her eager eyes watching Eren shuffle the card deck in his hands. He smiled, looking at seven other classmates huddled around his table, eating him alive and waiting for more magic before their eyes.

"Okay, one more trick, and that's it," he said, placing the deck in his hand and rolling his sleeves back up so it wouldn't confuse the little crowd. "You," he pointed at the blonde, "are going to be the spectator."

The girl squirmed in her chair, smiling widely when Eren addressed her directly. He cut the deck three times, closely watching her following his every move, speculating what he is going to do.

"I'm going to tell you a secret," he said, giving her a half-smile. "I have a ridiculous memory. Some can say it's photographic."

"Fuck off, Eren, we all know you couldn't pass a test if you wanted to," a guy named Jean rumbled. Eren rolled his eyes at him. Some of the students nodded their heads at Jean, silently agreeing.

"Ah ah ah," Eren said. "If I didn't fail the tests, you'd get lower grades, and we don't want that, do we?"

The blonde, who was apparently from the class below them, looked back at Jean and his friends. "Shut up, will you, let him do the trick!"

Jean raised his hands up, granting Eren his performance a go.

"As I said, my memory is off the hook. Spectacular. Let me prove this to you."

The blonde nodded, leaning a bit toward Eren, her body language indicating she was more than drawn to the trick before her. Eren stopped cutting the cards, holding them in both hands now. "I'm going to need you to pick one card out of the deck, okay?"

He started passing the cards in a bundle, opening the deck into a wave of cards, letting her know she had to pick from one of the passing cards. The blonde told him to stop in the middle of the deck, making Eren smile.

"Great, we have a card, ladies and gentlemen," he said, happily taking out the card and placing it down on the desk. "See, I'm going to go _through_ the deck, and I will tell you what card is missing. Because," he looked at Jean, winking at him. "I have an amazing memory."

Eren switched the cards up, so all of them were easily placed up, once again moving the cards in a wave.

"Ah, so many cards, so little time," Eren said, looking somewhat struggling with his memory. Jean looked downward bashful, proud of himself that Eren was probably going to fuck up any moment now. And then –

"Oh! Easy. It's the eight of spades," Eren said, putting the cards in place and quickly opening the card on the table, showing the blonde, wait for it – the eight of spades.

Seven people fell into a roar of awe, clapping, obviously questioning the trick with their eyes. How did –

"This is bullshit!" Jean said, his face already changed to disbelief. "How the fuck do you do this, I have no fucking clue –"

"Eren, please, one more!" a girl next to Jean shouted. Eren distinctly remembered her name being Sasha, but he was not sure. "One more and we'll let you be!"

The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. Eren could count a huge bunch of people from his class, maybe even everyone, alongside with their friends from other classes. He could never get over the rush of excitement whenever he did a show like this, even if it was in school. The brink of excitement rushing through his bloodstream, constant fear that he'll somehow fail the trick, and then immediate relief when he got the trick right. Seven people turned into twenty, Eren, again, shuffling the cards in between his fingers.

He had been doing tricks for as long as he remembered, his father showing the first one when he was little. Being the hotheaded idiot he was, card tricks endeared him. He would always carry three different decks with him all the time, practicing tricks 8 hours a day. He had an arsenal of them, some new, some old and dusty.

Yet he never ceased to surprise his classmates.

He lived for these moments, for utter admiration. He was known as a kind of magician around school, earning the name of 'Card guy' among teenagers around campus. He liked this name. Mikasa told him he was being ridiculous taking pride in this kind of thing.

He eyed the crowd, looking for the dark haired girl and her red scarf, once again sighing that his half-sister never appeared in his shows. She considered magic tricks a waste of time and space, disapproving of Eren's life choice from the first trick he had ever shown her.

But she never told him to stop. In fact, she bought him card decks every birthday, showing him that she did, in fact, support him in some way with his life-long dream.

Eren did another card trick, had another round of applause and then heard the bell ring. The crowd around him groaned in a unison, some of the kids cursing. They all wanted more. They always did. For card tricks were interesting until you found out how to do them. Eren prayed none of them looked up card trick tutorials on the internet, or else he'd be screwed big time.

Students shuffled into their respectful seats, talking about daily lives and other crap Eren didn't bother to listen to. He quickly grabbed his backpack, putting his cards back to place, smiling as he drew books for this lesson out.

He prepared for Advanced algebra in a matter of seconds, years of practice making his hands move faster than usual. Eren thought about lunch that would follow after this lesson, his stomach rumbled with a very annoying sound. He mentally shushed the hunger, thinking he'd coach Armin into sharing those wonderful sandwiches his grandmother prepared for him every day. He couldn't wait to see his best friend and tell him how cool he felt when he did tricks today. Armin was probably the only person he would tell how proud he was of the tricks. Armin never judged him, unlike Mikasa.

There are times in life, when a single moment is going to decide the rest of your future. There are times, when, particularly for Eren, that a single most valuable event would cause him to rethink everything he has ever done, has ever learned.

That moment happened exactly after Eren sat comfortably in his chair and directed his attention to the blackboard and the teacher standing in front of the class.

The cough had been loud. It had been loud and obnoxious and _dreadful_. Eren's eyes widened when this cough set silence to the whole class, calming every student in a blink of an eye.

The cough came from none other than a very short person, a teacher that Eren has never seen before in his life, standing and holding a piece of chalk. The man, dressed in black, looking entirely different from other teachers in Eren's school, had this look on his face. It struck Eren as utter disgust. Loathing. Anger. And it was the best poker face Eren has ever seemed to notice on a person before.

"Welcome," his voice was low, so low that it caused Eren's stomach to churn around in a flutter of nerves. "to Advanced Algebra."

Some of the students gazed at one another, silently asking the question everyone wanted an answer to. Who was this guy?

"Before you brats start quivering in your seats, I'm here as a substitute teacher for Mrs. Petra Ral. I'll take about three months of your time. It's going to be hell for you, and for me."

The class took a collective breath, the short man giving off this sense of authority in the way he spoke. Eren straightened his back.

"My name is Levi Recon. And _you_ lot are going to call me Mr. Recon. No exceptions."

Eren took a mental note that Recon was indeed a very strange name, and for some reason, he felt as if he had heard the name before. But he wished the thought away, proceeding to understand that he will have to listen to Levi for three months. He already missed Mrs. Ral.

"Given this information, I have a few errands to run. I will check attendance and _if_," for the first time Levi turned his attention to one particular student, which, to Eren's surprise, was him, "I see _anyone_ do tricks before or during or _after_ my class, I will make sure you fail this class."

Everyone, and Eren meant _everyone_, turned in their seats and stared at him. His eyes widened, mouth forming a perfect 'O' because _hell yeah_ he was surprised.

He rose from his seat before thinking. He didn't think it'd cause any trouble at first, but Eren rarely thought before acting.

"Why?"

Mr. Recon stared him down, his gaze giving Eren goose-bumps.

"You are asking me _why_." And it wasn't a question. It was a personal challenge.

"Yes, _sir_."

Levi raised his chin a bit, his composure even more authoritative than before.

"Because _I hate magic tricks._"

The entire class waited for the climax, for Eren to boil with anger. And it didn't come.

Eren was surprised. He was so surprised, that the only thing he did was slump into his seat, his bubble of happiness bursting into overcoming sadness.

His head rushed around a thousand possibilities, some crazier than the other. The wish to tell Armin about everything increased, but so did Eren's ability to fuck up in every situation without thinking too much before acting. Levi Recon, the substitute teacher continued on rumbling about Algebra as if nothing has happened, but Eren… Eren already had something in his mind, something blooming and constructing deep inside. A simple decision, triggered by mere embarrassment and a wish to show off.

The chain of thoughts led him to a decision even he never thought he could pursue.


	2. Chapter 2

Eren threw his bag on the table, startling Armin and Mikasa. Both raised their eyes to meet a furious brown-haired guy. Armin raised his eyebrow.

"You okay?" he asked.

Eren sat down next to Mikasa and flopped his head on top of his backpack. "I wish."

Mikasa put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know what happened and it's really not your fault."

Armin took his lunch out and held out a sandwich that Eren wanted so much before, but now he didn't even lift his head to say no.

"What _happened_ anyway?" Armin asked.

Eren groaned.

"Eren has a substitute teacher for Advanced Algebra, and I hear the guy hates magic tricks," Mikasa answered, taking the sandwich from Armin.

"He's so short," Eren murmured loud enough for his friends to hear. "He's short and bossy."

"If he fails you, I will personally kill him," Mikasa said with a certain kind of anger. Eren leaned back, sitting straight, his hair a bit ruffled from the backpack, his expression changed.

"Ooooh no," Armin said, his eyes jumping from Eren to Mikasa in a heart-beat. "Oh no, I know that face."

"What face?" Mikasa asked.

Armin's hands clenched into fists. "Eren, whatever you're thinking of doing, I don't think it's a good idea –"

Eren stood up from his seat, his face full of determination. "I am not going to listen to him."

"Oh hell no," Armin moaned, Mikasa already catching on with Armin's despair.

"I am going to do whatever I want."

"Eren –"

"Fuck rules, he's only here for three months –"

"Eren…"

"I mean, who doesn't _like_ magic tricks, only an idiot would –"

"Mikasa, stop him –"

"Armin," Eren said in a way that made both of them shut up. "Mikasa. I have a plan."

Armin jumped from his seat, pointing his finger at Eren.

"Eren Jeager, drop whatever you have in that head of yours, I sincerely hope you're not thinking you can pull this off -"

"Watch me," Eren answered, grabbed his backpack and ran off without eating. Mikasa glanced at Armin. "I just hope he doesn't embarrass himself."

Armin followed Eren's back before he disappeared into the hallway. "It's Eren. Embarrassment finds him."

* * *

Eren skipped the rest of his lessons, taking his car and driving straight to Home Depot.

His plan was simple. Levi Recon hated magic tricks. He'd give him one that would change the substitute's mind. And for that Eren needed to plan out and prepare for his trick.

Eren has always been rather hot headed, although the guy had brains for planning. One of the reasons he was so good at card tricks was his reaction. He could understand how the trick is done in a matter of minutes, master the trick in five and show it to everyone in ten. Armin was the brain of the group, but you couldn't say that Eren didn't match him in some ways. Mysteriously, Eren could practically prepare for a simple plan without rush, while Armin had to think everything out.

He parked his car in the parking lot, took his wallet and hurried toward the entrance of Home Depot.

A very pretty blonde girl, shorter than probably Levi Recon himself, had asked him if he needed help with anything. Eren nodded and told her he'd need a list of things and he could probably find them himself. She told him that her name was Christa and he could ask for her help whenever needed. He waved at her and took a shopping cart.

It took him about a half an hour to find stuff he needed. He checked his credit card account beforehand, knowing all too well he'd spend his monthly allowance in one day, but he knew it was worth it. He'd prove Levi recon that magic was not stupid. He'd show him something Levi Recon would not have expected.

Deep down he knew that it was plain stupid getting angry over just one incident, but his instinct told him otherwise.

He wanted the attention. Especially attention from one substitute teacher.

* * *

Levi Recon entered his Advanced Algebra class without a single glance at his new students. He mentally rolled his eyes. The things he would do for Hanji and Erwin.

He never suspected that he'd have to teach Algebra to a bunch of idiots in one place, especially not one where he'd ended up in. Levi had always been good at Algebra, math being one of the reasons he could make a living out of. He placed the attendance journal on top of his desk, hoping this day would be better than the last one. He didn't expect a student to stand up for what he believed in, especially not because of magic tricks.

And oh boy did that guy surprise him.

It was a simple question with a simple answer. Levi had no problem shutting down another idiot, although he felt some kind of an aura surrounding the brat.

He had brown hair, green eyes and quick hands. That's what he had noticed at first.

Levi had watched him deal the cards. He had watched him surprise the crowd with his petty little youtube tricks. He had watched the brown haired guy fuck up about three times while doing the trick and wondered how in the world he managed making the trick work afterwards. He'd counted the mistakes over and over again, believing that if the kid even _knew _the first thing about math, he'd never fail a simple thing like a card trick.

Well, that is if the guy knew how real card tricks work too.

The bell rang and Levi once again coughed to catch everyone's attention. He already looked at that brown haired guy, hoping he'd see the same angry sparkle in his eyes from yesterday, but instead he found the guy calm.

Odd.

He brushed the thought away, pointing at the blackboard with a piece of white chalk.

"We're starting with chapter seven, exercise five. You'd better finish everything before the end of the lesson. I will collect the work after. If you have questions, consult me silently."

The class shuffled into work, no words, just the sound of papers flipping and the click of mechanic pens.

Levi sat on his chair, sighing and hoping class would end soon. He wondered what he'd be having for dinner, knowing all too well Hanji would prepare something ridiculous like any other day.

Until -

"Mr. Recon." A voice he recognized called. Levi lifted his eyes, not changing his expression.

The brown haired guy was standing again. The nerve of this guy, seriously.

"Jeager, I presume," Levi answered, barely moving on his chair.

"Would you care for a magic trick, sir?"

That caught Levi off guard. What?

"Do I need to repeat the question, sir?"

Levi narrowed his eyes, refusing to believe this kid was challenging him. And the brat had some proud looking bust. Well, two could play that game.

"Have I not told you that I _hate_ magic tricks?"

"Yes. But I believe I can change that."

Levi lifted his eyebrows, somewhat impressed. He didn't care for the other students, for apparently, every single person in the room now had eyes on him and the Jeager kid.

"Do you?"

"Yes."

Levi cleared his throat and stood up, hands behind his back.

"Let's make a deal, shall we, Jeager?"

The brat didn't show any fear.

"Depends on the deal, sir," he answered, his voice without a hint of a stutter.

"If you manage surprising me, I will leave you alone. If you don't - I will make you fail class. Is that clear?"

Jeager nodded without a seconds delay. Levi grew more fond of the kid by the second.

"Come here," Levi said and Jeager gladly skipped over next to him. Damn that kid was tall.

The kid didn't do anything but stand there. Levi grew irritated. "Get on with it, we have class."

Jeager quickly pulled a deck of cards out of his back pocket, clumsily taking the cards out. Levi crossed his arms.

"Okay, Mr. Recon. Pick a card. Any card."

Levi puffed some air out, picking a card at random. Jeager looked downright excited for one. Levi was used to having people who were afraid of him, but this wasn't the case with this brat.

It was the ace of spades. 'Not bad' Levi thought.

He put the card back into the deck without asking Jeager. Apparently, that was the right thing to do.

Jeager immediately shuffled the cards.

"As you probably heard yesterday, I have a photographic memory," Jeager said. Levi nearly groaned. Did he really think he could surprise him with a cheap trick from youtube? "It's spectacular."

"Shut the words, do the trick already," Levi urged. Jeager noticeably gulped down some air.

"Okay," he said in an answer. "Okay, alright. Well, as we all know, the first rule of magic is to be the smartest guy in the room."

Levi pulled a half of a smile.

Jeager shuffled the cards in a way that Levi could only watch and admire, even if he didn't want to. "The second rule of magic is to never reveal your trick."

Levi rolled his eyes at him. "I don't have all day."

Jeager coughed, turning to class and ignoring Levi all together.

Odd twice.

"And third, most important of all," Jeager said, his shuffle stopping abruptly. He glanced back at Levi, fixing his gaze on his eyes. "Distraction."

With those words, the brat blew air onto the cards, making them fly all over class. A gush of wind suddenly threw all of the papers off Levi's table, lifting Jeager's classmates hair or skirts or shirts. It was so powerful, Levi had to cover his eyes, and good thing he did, because...

There was suddenly smoke everywhere.

He caughed, instantly covering his mouth, closing his eyes and waving the smoke out. The only thing on his mind was how the hell did that kid manage making smoke appear in the middle of a classroom.

There was a commotion everywhere, different shouts from different places in class. It took about ten minutes until the smoke was gone and Levi opened his eyes to see the mess in the classroom.

He did not expect papers and pens on the ground, students shocked out of their mind and a little peace of paper left on his desk.

Levi reluctantly took the paper, swearing he would kill Jeager if he found him, seeing that the kid was nowhere to be found.

The paper said:

_Was this your card?_

And a friendly reminder of a arrow showing up.

Levi knew he shouldn't look up. He knew he'd see something the kid had planned and it wouldn't make him happy.

He raised his eyes and saw a huge painting on the ceiling, all black and glistening.

The ace of spades.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: quick notice - I am so happy there are so many Now You See Me fans! This fic is actually very _very _loosely based on that movie, so you might notice a few similarities, but not a lot. Also, thank you so much for the reviews and alerts, I seriously did not expect so many!**

* * *

"You should be glad you are getting away with this with only a suspension," the principal said, her arms crossed, face unreadable. Eren could only smile sheepishly, unable to hide his glee.

He remembered Levi Recon's surprised expression when he saw the ace of spades on the ceiling. Eren couldn't help a chuckle escaping his lungs.

"This shouldn't be a laughing matter, young man," the principal addressed him.

Eren opened his mouth to tell her he didn't give a damn, when the office door opened and Levi Recon entered. He wore a poker face on, startling Eren. He was supposed to be furious, or surprised, or even smiling. None of the emotions reflected on Levi Recon's expression, making Eren slump into his seat, the bubble of relaxation crumbling.

"The paint is not coming off," Levi said. The principal groaned.

She pointed at Eren. "Sit here and wait until Mr. Recon and I come back, understood?"

Eren nodded. Then leaned forward. "Can I at least use the bathroom until you come back?"

She waved him off and left the office with Levi Recon following her.

Eren sighed. He did not expect this situation. He hoped for a suspension, he got one, but the part where Levi Recon fell to his knees to admire him didn't happen. Sure, he saw a moment of surprise on Levi Recon's face when he watched the whole classroom cheer for him. But this silent treatment? He did not think it was a possibility.

Eren thought about the trick, and how he failed disappearing quicker. He should've thought the trick out better. Now it was too late.

So did Levi Recon like his trick? Did he feel surprised, did he think the trick was genius?

Eren shrugged the feelings off, letting true fear settle in his system. He checked his phone for messages, finding a dozen angry ones from Mikasa and a few from Armin. He already knew that Mikasa called their parents, earning him a 'grounded' status for the rest of the year. Although he couldn't help feeling victorious about this whole situation. Okay, who cares of Levi Recon didn't like the trick? Eren would still be a legend throughout the school. He smiled to himself.

Fifteen minutes passed, Eren nearly rising from his seat and stalking to the bathroom, when the office door opened again.

Eren straightened his back when Levi Recon sent daggers with his eyes. The substitute teacher rushed inside, and crouched in front of Eren unceremoniously.

Eren gulped some air down, his heart skipping a beat.

"So?" Levi Recon said, cocking his head to the left, fixing his gaze on Eren only. "Care to explain yourself, Jeager?"

The brown haired magician bit his lip, fidgeting with the cloth of his jeans, still a bit black in some places because of the paint. "Explain what, sir?"

Levi puffed some air out. "The trick, brat. The trick. How did you do it?"

Eren suddenly felt suspicion rising deep in his gut.

"You seriously want me to explain a magic trick?"

Levi looked at him as if he was a stupid little shit. "If you tell me how you did it, I can gladly convince the principal to leave you off with a warning and nothing else."

Eren gaped like a fish, looking everywhere but Levi Recon. If he told him the technique, would that be okay? He'd only have a warning, nothing else. No suspension.

Then, Eren tilted his head up, deciding he shouldn't leave his mission so easily. He would not give Levi Recon the satisfaction.

"No." He said, this time staring straight into Levi Recon's eyes, earning a little spark of interest from the substitute teacher. It was a momentary event, Levi Recon's face barely changing.

"No?"

Eren smiled. "Have you not listened to what I said back there? About the rules of magic?"

Levi raised his eyebrow in question.

"You should never reveal a trick of your own, sir," Eren said proudly. He got up from his seat and walked toward the office door. He glanced back at Levi, who was still crouching in the same spot. "Now if you excuse me, I have to use the bathroom."

* * *

Eren splashed his face with water from the tap, looking at himself in the mirror. He wore a victory face proudly. He did not tell Levi Recon how he did the trick, he did not chicken out because of the suspension. Eren always knew that he'd find something worth the struggle and this time he was sure it was magic.

He observed his own face, full of determination. This was his path, his choice. He tried to convince himself that Levi Recon couldn't make him regret everything he had chosen.

Eren believed he had to do something in this world, to leave a mark. Ever since he started shuffling cards and entertaining his classmates, he was determined to do something more with this quest.

He wanted to become the very best. Making Levi Recon like magic was the first step towards his future.

Eren grabbed a paper towel and wiped his face, enjoying the refreshing feel on his face. He opened his eyes to look at his reflection again.

Instead, he found himself staring at an Ace of Spades card, stuck right on the mirror. Eren squinted, not believing his eyes. This must be some kind of a stupid joke.

He reached for the card, instantly grabbing it and re-attaching it from the mirror.

The card, to Eren's surprise, was metal. He inspected it, especially the paint and the backside.

Eren found a small note on the other side of the card, inclined in red.

_10 p.m. _

_Titan bar_

_Don't forget your cards._

"What the fuck," Eren aired.

"Eren Jeager, come back to the office at once!" he heard the principal's voice from the corridor. He quickly hid the card in his pocket, his heart pounding hard and fast. How the hell did that card appear stuck on the mirror?

And where the hell is this Titan bar?

* * *

Eren sat in the passenger seat of Mikasa's car. She was fuming with anger, sometimes speeding more than the speed limit allowed.

"Whoah, Mikasa, do you want us to die?" Eren murmured when she turned a sharp turn toward their street.

"You are an idiot," she said, breaking her silent treatment. "Armin warned you."

"I know," Eren said.

"You skipped class for a trick," she went on. "And wrecked school property."

"I didn't know the ceiling would be _counted_ as school property."

"Also, a week of suspension? Mom and Dad are so disappointed."

Eren clutched his backpack. "Does it sound like I care what they think?"

Mikasa didn't answer.

Eren was not in the mood for another quarrel with Mikasa's overprotective instincts. The card in his pocket got all of Eren's attention, Eren's thoughts lingering on it like it was the plague.

How the hell would he be able to go out tonight without Mikasa or their parents noticing?

Mikasa parked her car next to their house, rushing Eren out of it, so she could lock it. Eren swung his backpack on his left shoulder and entered the house. And of course, their parents were already waiting.

"Have you got _no_ shame?" Eren's mom said. Eren hated when she didn't shout or yell at him when she was angry. It made it ten times worse.

He stared at her without answering, because, what was there to answer anyway? He rebelled, and nearly got away with it. God damn Levi Recon.

"Mikasa, could you please leave us alone with Eren for a while?" Eren's dad asked her and she nodded, climbing up the stairs to her room.

Eren would listen to his parents for a while, but inside of his head, there was a plan.

He would go to the Titan Club no matter what.


End file.
